By Orin
DavidsonA prank
between team members ended up costing the New York Under-19 team $1,400
in extra hotel charges following their triumphant performance in Florida
last weekend.

According to reports,
one player raised an alarm in more ways than one by causing the entire
hotel they stayed at, to be evacuated at 2 a.m. Sunday after inadvertently
triggering the fire alarm.

Manager Lester
Hooper said the player sprayed the contents of his room’s fire
extinguisher on two teammates in retaliation for being painted with
shaving cream on three separate occasions.

The mineral contents
of the extinguisher triggered the entire hotel’s alarm system
as a result, which caused panic among the guests who all had to be
awakened and ushered out of the building.

Hooper said the
upheaval started hours after the team defeated Southern California
in the final to win the title on Sunday.

The two players
decided to prank the offender in his sleep, which is considered normal
behavior among youngsters on cricket tours.

They had collected
a copy of the player’s room key from the Front Desk and proceeded
to plaster his body with the shaving cream. After the third occasion,
the player got irate and grabbed the extinguisher.

Not aware of
the repercussions of its indiscriminate use, he chased the two to
their rooms and sprayed from under the doors.

Soon the hotel
was engulfed with resulting gas and the shrill ringing of the alarm
system.

Fire trucks raced
to the scene followed by police, but fortunately the hotel manager
did not press charges.

But he billed
the team instead for damages which will have to be settled by the
team.

So far no action
has been taken against the offending players
Hooper said to make matters worse some team members had to endure
a three-hour long wait at La Guardia Airport when the team arrived
back in New York on Monday night, in two batches.
For the first batch it was an entire day of traveling after leaving
Fort Lauderdale airport from early morning and enduring a lengthy
stopover in Atlanta.

The manager said
the cash strapped team was not catered for on its triumphant return
home.

It added to their
frustration of not being rewarded with proper prizes for their exploits.